Broodmare daughters of the late South African legend Horse Chestnut have more than proven their worth at stud, and Horse Chestnut mares have again come to the fore of late.
Not only is Horse Chestnut’s daughter Banbury dam of Pink Moon (Sea The Moon), who caught the eye when finishing third on debut recently, another daughter, Chestnuts N Pearls, is the dam of Saturday’s very impressive debut winner Gimmethatpearl (Gimmethegreenlight).
Gimmethatpearl charges home under Grant van Niekerk at Hollywoodbets Durbanville last Saturday (Pic – Chase Liebenberg)
Both Banbury and Chestnuts N Pearls were talented racemares, with Banbury downing champion Smart Call (another out of a Horse Chestnut mare) to win the 2014 Gr3 Fillies Mile, and Chestnuts N Pearls winning the 2015 Gr1 Golden Slipper.
Banbury’s daughter Pink Moon is the first South African runner for once beaten Gr1 Deutsches (German) Derby winner Sea The Moon, responsible for winners of both the German Derby and German Oaks in 2023. A son of Sea The Stars, Sea The Moon accomplished a notable feat when his daughters Muskoka, Kassada and Sea The Lady ran 1-2-3 in this year’s Gr1 Preis Der Diana (German Oaks).
His sire Sea The Stars’ Gr1 Kerrygold Irish Oaks/Gr1 Prix Vermeille/Gr1 Qipco British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes winning daughter Star Catcher was produced by the Horse Chestnut mare Lynnwood Chase.
The latter was an exceptional broodmare with Lynnwood Chase’s seven winners also including Gr1 Canadian International winning sire Cannock Chase (Lemon Drop Kid) and G2 Prix Eugene Adam victor Pisco Sour (Lemon Drop Kid).
Gimmethatpearl, who made a good impression when winning at Hollywoodbets Durbanville on Saturday, is the first winner for Chestnuts N Pearls, whose third dam is top South African racemare and producer Party Time (Filipepi).
The winner is washed down by the Snaith team (Pic – Chase Liebenberg)
Horse Chestnut daughters have, to date, produced Gr1 winners in all of Britain, Canada, Ireland, France, South Africa and the USA, with Horse Chestnut mares throwing top level winners to a range of different stallions including Blame, Byword, City Zip, English Channel, Ideal World and the aforementioned Sea The Stars, among others.
At the time of writing, mares by Horse Chestnut had produced the earners of more than $39 million in stakes.
He is not the only son of multiple Champion Broodmare Sire Fort Wood to make his mark as a broodmare sire, with Fort Wood’s outstanding son Dynasty fast becoming a superb damsire in his own right.
Horse Chestnut in his days at Drakenstein Stud (Pic – Drakenstein Stud)
Among the growing list of top-class horses produced by Dynasty mares are champion Charles Dickens, and fellow graded stakes winners Amanzimtoti, Cold Fact, Divine Odyssey, Gladatorian, and Wild Coast, to name but a few.
Dynasty is also broodmare sire of last season’s brilliant Listed World Sports Betting Irridescence Stakes winner Beach Bomb (Lancaster Bomber).
